I Got My Groove Back Post-Baby By Creating a Makeup Uniform

I realized I could focus on something that didn't have anything to do with a "post-baby body": my face.

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By Meghan Keane Graham

Feb 17, 2016

I've never been a fan of makeup. In my teens and twenties, I quickly realized that I didn't have the skill to apply it well, and was actually making things worse by trying. So I quit. I went blissfully makeup free for years and never looked back.

It was a look that fit well into the lifestyle of my 20s. The men I dated and friends I made appreciated how low maintenance I was. And I blissfully kept the money I could have spent on beauty products firmly in my pocket. Or spent on important things, like food. And shoes.

Prioritizing those self-focused moments in the morning remind me not to forget myself when I'm busy taking care of everyone else throughout the day.​

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Sure, my mom (and her opinionated friends) would occasionally tell me I'd "look so much nicer" if I put a little makeup on, but Greek ladies are never not going to have opinions on things you could be doing better with your life.

And personally, foregoing makeup seemed like a great lifehack for increasing my personal well being. Spending less energy getting ready in the morning translated to less time worrying about my appearance throughout the day. When I'd take the time to paint my face, I'd look in the mirror hours later to find that my eyeliner had migrated below my eyes, making me look tired and sad. Or the great joke I told at that wedding reception would be marred when I went into the bathroom to find I had lipstick all over my teeth all night.

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The time I saved putting myself together was better spent going out in the world doing things. I knew what I looked like, and foregoing a beauty routine saved me hours of stress and daily anxiety. My face was my face and I'd rather get comfortable with its existence than spend hours futilely trying to improve it.

This game plan worked excellently. Until I hit my 30s and had a child.

After having a baby everything about your appearance changes, in ways large and small. The approach that had served me so well suddenly inverted from cute and carefree to looking like I hadn't looked in a mirror or brushed my hair all day. It didn't help that these things were often true.

Unlike an expensive new dress or a fancy top that might draw attention to areas you'd rather forget, makeup (properly applied) is something that can help anyone look better.

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But with my body in flux and a full wardrobe overhaul out of my budget, I was pretty down about my looks. Pregnancy is a period when you can take pride in the size of your belly (for me it was the one time I comfortably wore a tube dress). But the months afterward seemed like a losing race to regain my "normal" shape. And then I realized I could focus on something that didn't have anything to do with a "post-baby body": my face. Unlike an expensive new dress or a fancy top that might draw attention to areas you'd rather forget, makeup (properly applied) is something that can help anyone look better.

Over the years I had acquired a few beauty products that mostly sat in a drawer in my bedroom. I decided to pitch them and invest in key products that really looked good on me. The way I look today.

I did this by paying closer attention to my features and listening to the advice of people smarter than me when it comes to beauty.

My requirements were simple: I wanted to look like a well-rested, better-put-together version of myself. I needed to get ready in about five minutes and have a routine that was so easy I wouldn't forget it. Large products that couldn't fit in my medicine cabinet weren't an option. And anything I considered fussy got a pass. For instance: cleaning makeup brushes is important, but I hate to do it. I've stopped using them. All of my makeup is applied with clean fingertips or an included applicator.

I acquired exactly seven products over the next year that made it into the heavy rotation of my morning routine. The tool I rely on most heavily I had never even considered owning before I began this process: an eyebrow pencil.

Prioritizing those self-focused moments in the morning remind me not to forget myself when I'm busy taking care of everyone else throughout the day. It doesn't hurt that I've gotten great compliments since starting this routine (a lot of "you look pretty today" from my husband and even a few positive asides from those Greek ladies).

These are the products that work for me:

Primer: After spending so many years thinking that there was something wrong with my eyelids that caused makeup to slide off of them, I became acquainted with primer. I've found that Smashbox's travel size Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($16) is the perfect amount and value to smooth out my skin and keep my makeup in place.

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Eyebrow pencil: I always thought these were intended for people who want/need to draw on eyebrows where eyebrows do not exist. Actually, a pencil is an excellent way to give some definition to your face without much effort. I bought an Anastasia Brow Definer in Medium Brown ($23) last year and I've been getting unsolicited compliments on my eyebrows ever since. I use it to define the innermost edges of my eyebrows. Even on days I can't be bothered with anything else, a touch of eyebrow pencil makes me feel like I tried before heading out into the world.

Jennifer Chalet

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Eyeliner. I've had my share of eyeliner disasters in my day, but I walked into a great beauty store near my apartment (Shen Beauty) with a friend one day and received an excellent tutorial on how to do a cat eye with an angled brush and a pot of liquid eyeliner. If I had known you could start applying eyeliner in the middle of your top eyelid and just angle the brush to create a thicker line toward the outer edge of your eye, I would have started using it much earlier. The product the makeup artist suggested broke my no-brush rule, but I've found that Stila's Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner ($22) eyeliner helps me get that angle I need perfectly, and fast.

Blush. Finding a low maintenance blush was hard because a lot of great blushes need brushes, but Josie Maran's Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelée ($13) is a great cheek stain that doubles as an extremely creamy lip gloss. Best yet, I can apply it with my fingertips to get fresh sun kissed look that's not streaky.

BB Cream. I've always hated foundation. I have trouble applying the liquid evenly and I'm allergic to most powders. A better option? BB cream or tinted moisturizer. I use Bobby Brown's BB Cream SPF 35 because it gives me sun protection while evening out my complexion, and additional moisturizer is always great. Especially in the winter.

Concealer. I keep a minitube of Stowaway's Creaseless Concealer ($16) in my go bag because it fits anywhere and easily applied in a bathroom or on a train. A few little dabs make a huge difference when you're working on minimal sleep.

Mascara. This is usually my final touch before heading out of the bathroom. I use Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara, $6.40. One swipe of mascara on my top lashes makes my eyes look bigger and more defined. I skip applying it to my bottom lashes to avoid getting raccoon eyes later in the day.

(An added bonus: wearing makeup during the day forces me to wash my face every single night, which in turn has made my skin clearer. Win-win.)

Creating a sort of makeup uniform has been huge for my self-esteem, because I'm confident that these products work for me. Even if I don't have time to look in the mirror again the entire day, I finally feel comfortable in my skin again.